


The Wheels on the Bus

by nothingelsematters



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: M/M, seriously listen to them, teleconferences were a literal goldmine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingelsematters/pseuds/nothingelsematters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and Jason try to figure out where they stand with each other, now that the added complications of the Olympics, National medals, and international fame is added in.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the rest of the tour cast, these discussions take place on the tour bus. At night. When everyone else is asleep.</p>
<p>(And come on, there may be a betting pool about when they're going to actually get together, but at the expense of their beauty sleep is not cool.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wheels on the Bus

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously, if you have not listened to the pre-Worlds teleconferences, do it. Both Josh and Jason were asked by the journalists about the other, but it was Josh who mentioned the tour bus shenanigans.
> 
> "We had a few good bonding moments, when everyone else on the bus was asleep, and it was just me and him..."

Josh was lying in his bunk, the curtains drawn, scribbling some song lyrics. The bus was still and quiet, and everyone else was asleep, but Josh was having a little trouble; he'd never tried to sleep on a bunk on a bus before, and it was a weird feeling.

Then suddenly his curtains opened and Jason crawled through, shoving Josh aside so he could fit, and then suddenly giggling.

"I probably should have made sure you weren't like, jerking off or something first."

Josh raised his eyebrows at Jason. "Like, I'm fairly sure that'd be weird on a bus full of other people."

Jason wriggled closer. "They didn't make these bunks for two, did they?"

"You know why that is. If they did that, the whole tour would be fucking like bunnies."

Jason dissolved into giggles again, which prompted a loud thump from below them on the underside of the bunk, presumably from Jeremy, who had that one.

"Shh," Jason whispered mysteriously. "So, I've been thinking, and I think we need to kinda...you know, talk about...like, everything."

"What everything?" Josh asked curiously.

"You know. Stuff." Jason flailed his hands. "Like, we used to be really - I don't know. I feel like - this season - stuff changed, I guess."

Josh eyed him warily.

"You know you're still my friend, right?" Jason added, and there was enough desperation in his tone that Josh gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Of course," he answered, and Jason looked relieved. Josh realised that this was exactly like being ten years old again, and winning everything, and how people would suddenly just not be your friends anymore if you beat them hard enough.

"Always," he added, and Jason's smile was bright enough to light up the whole bus.

*

They woke up the next morning a little stiff, and Jason was quick enough to leave the bunk before anyone else woke up and they had to endure any teasing. They didn't say anything out of the ordinary to each other that day, but Josh felt like something in their dynamic had shifted; he felt better for it, like there was going to be a proper resolution to their interchangeable friends-and-rivals status.

He played a few chords for everyone at dinner, and was prompted into playing a little more for a spontaneous singalong. When that was done, some of the others sat down to cards; eventually they drifted off to their bunks to sleep. Josh climbed into his own, carefully pressing himself against the wall in the most comfortable position he could manage that still left enough room for another body, and he waited.

Sure enough, when the rest of the bus was quiet, Jason slipped through his curtains again.

"Right," he said as soon as he was settled. "Let's tackle the big one. The Olympics."

"You deserved to go," Josh said honestly.

Jason rolled his eyes. "I don't care about that. Tell me how you felt. How you actually _feel_. Because you know this isn't going to work if we're hiding feelings like that."

That threw Josh for a moment, because to him, friendships didn't involve that level of feeling depth. That was something that happened in a relationship... "Well..."

"Honestly. I won't get pissed at you, promise."

And Josh found himself rambling at length, even venting a little, about how confused it had made him to be so happy for Jason, and the snide glances thrown his way at his pewter medal (which he was still pretty fucking proud about, thankyou very much!), the terrible feeling it had induced of _oh my god will I ever be good enough, will I ever make it through a season unbroken_ , and how he had totally hated Jason for parading around Colorado Springs in his Olympic Gear but also thought it was really awesome that Jason had made the Olympics.

He admitted, for the first time to anyone other than his mother, that he had cried a lot about missing out, and even - he lowered his voice even smaller - that he'd gone to Max's room, and they'd even got drunk (vodka couldn't kill him) until they had fallen asleep in a mess of sticky tears. And how Jason knew that Josh _never_ did that stuff, not even when he'd won his Junior World title, so then he'd woken up the next morning not only with a hangover but also feeling incredibly guilty, and sure that he'd disappointed everyone.

Jason was silent for a few moments after Josh had finished.

"You...you should have told me...like, I'd have stopped wearing the stuff if I knew it was upsetting you. Like, I tried not to wear it around Max, but I thought you were...okay."

"You earned the right to wear it. If Max knew that was why you didn't wear it around him he'd kick your butt," Josh replied.

Jason scooted closer and gave Josh a huge hug, clinging onto him tightly.

"I kinda wished you were there, to be honest," he admitted. "I mean, it was cool with the team we had and all, and I had loads of fun. I mean loads. But...it would have been nice if you were there."

Josh smiled.

"Hey, is it true about the Olympics? Because...well, for some reason, that kinda bugged me too. That you were probably getting laid every night in the village. Probably because I was stuck at home with my hand," he added, laughing nervously.

"I don't think so. Well, I mean it was for some people, but not for me. Not really. It felt, like, weird, you know? A bunch of total strangers, most drunk most nights, and like - all hitting on you, and you know they don't care what you look like, they just want another Olympic fuck. Like, some of them were even keeping _tallies_. And that felt really wrong, you know? Like I would have been just another mark on their wall."

Josh nodded and opened his mouth to speak, until another thump came against the floor of his bunk. "Would you two shut up?" he heard Jeremy's hiss from below him. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Jason buried his face in Josh's chest to stifle his giggles. They lay like that for a long while, and Josh thought privately that it felt nice.

*

The next night, Jeremy gave them his patent-pending Evil Glare of Doom before going into his bunk, a look that quite clearly said "If my sleep is disturbed by you two again I'll throw you off the bus."

So Josh climbed into Jason's bunk instead. And they talked, and talked, this time about Nationals, and Jason's viral video, and all the attendant feelings that went with it. They only stopped because Gracie threatened to also throw them off the bus if they weren't quiet. "Some of us need our beauty sleep!"

The pattern went on for a couple more nights, and after that night, usually at the table at the head of the bus, where their quiet whispers couldn't really disturb anyone. About a week into the tour, and Josh was feeling a lot better, and also a lot clearer; the knot of vague anxiety that took up residence in his chest whenever Jason was around was almost gone, and he was sure they were close to a full understanding.

There was just one thing they hadn't talked about yet, and Josh was sure they were both avoiding it, waiting until everything else had been talked about.

*

After having to unbend them from the awkward positions they'd fallen asleep in at the table one too many times, Jeremy had finally conceded and said that if they wanted, he would put earplugs in. Jason was only too happy to supply him (and Brent, who had the bunk above) with a few pairs, so they could talk in the relative comfort of a bed.

Tonight, Josh was determined they were going to talk about the one thing they'd avoided so far: the lingering looks, the too-long touches, the warm smiles. He knew he had a crush on Jason - he was fairly sure he'd had a crush on Jason even before he realised he liked guys, so that wasn't the difficult part. But he'd always been too afraid to mention it, sure Jason wouldn't return his feelings, that someone as outgoing as him would have someone already - heck, he wasn't even entirely sure Jason was gay.

But when Jason crept into his bed, as usual, his smile bright, all of Josh's courage failed him. How could he even bring it up?

Surprisingly, to his mind, it was Jason who ended up approaching the subject.

"You know, you look a lot older with this," he said, brushing his fingertips against the stubbly excuse for a beard that Josh was trying to grow.

"Do you think so?" Josh asked.

"Oh yeah. Older and heaps more handsome."

Josh willed himself not to blush, to no avail. "I'm glad you like it."

"I bet all the girls do too. Did you manage to get one this year? A girlfriend, I mean."

Josh shook his head.

"Why not?"

Josh wondered if it was his imagination that suggested that Jason looked - hopeful.

"I...realised that wasn't what I wanted."

No, it definitely wasn't his imagination; Jason's eyes were as round as saucers now.

"What...what did you want? Instead, I mean."

And at the very last second, Josh chickened out, and mumbled under his breath.

"I didn't hear you," Jason whispered, moving closer. He was so close now that their noses were almost touching, and it would be so easy to just lean a little and make their lips touch...

So Josh did.

They kissed, and kissed, and kissed til they were out of breath completely. When they finally did have to get some air, Jason couldn't control his grin. "Oh my god."

"What?" Josh asked, suddenly shy.

"Oh my god, I had no idea, I thought - I thought I'd never get what - I thought you would never -" he eventually gave up on what he was trying to say, and kissed Josh again.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Josh murmured shyly.

"You have no idea how long _I've_ wanted to do that," Jason replied.

Josh giggled.

Jason added with a smug grin: "This is why we need to talk about our feelings more often."

"We should definitely do it more often," Josh agreed, his fingers running from Jason's lips down to dance across his collarbone. "Among other things."

They were interrupted by a thump from below them.

"Right, if you two start having sex above me there, I'm definitely throwing you off the bus."

"Jer, you were supposed to have earplugs in," Jason complained.

Jeremy's laugh floated up to them.

"I couldn't resist hearing if I would win the bet."

 

END.


End file.
